Intimate Healing
by CanzetYote
Summary: The Adventures Of Blinky Bill. Shifty Dingo X Nutsy. Sequel To Scars Are Forever. After Shifty finds out the dingoes dark family secret, he runs away from Greenpatch with Nutsy.
1. A New Beginning

_This is my sequel to my Adventures Of Blinky Bill fanfic Scars Are Forever. It's my 3__rd__ ShiftyDingo X Nutsy fanfic and since they're teenagers, they are taking their relationship to a whole new level. Expect to see a mild sex scene between Shifty and Nutsy in chapter 3 as well as Shifty cutting himself in chapter 5, so this is rated M as well. All characters are copyright to Yoram Gross except Jeromy who ap__pears in a nightmare Shifty has._

It had been a year since that fateful day, the day Danny Dingo took his own life with a gun to prevent his suffering from AIDS. Shifty had grown into a young teenager and had gotten bolder and wiser than he once was. With his silky blonde fur, lean build and puppy dog eyes, he was also extremely handsome. Even Marcia would deliberately avoid eye contact when speaking to him for fear she might blush upon looking in his eyes yet she still treated him like trash and denied finding him attractive. Despite being popular with the ladies, he was still very shy and very devoted in his love to Nutsy. Physically speaking, he was growing to be as handsome as his brother Danny but personality-wise, he was pretty much the opposite being honest and caring. About the only personality trait he shared with his deceased brother was sarcasm. He really knew how to make a snappy comeback which is why Blinky and Flap started backing off from him. Like Nutsy, Splodge was also quite protective of Shifty, often serving as a bodyguard to him due to his large size. Academically, Shifty was one of the smartest kids in the class, getting straight A's and B's but he was rather clumsy and weak when it came to sports. Musically, he was great at playing instruments and was quick to catch on to learning new ones. His singing however was nasally and raspy so the kids usually discouraged him from singing in school plays.

Shifty opened a wallet his mother recently gave him and took out a photograph of Danny Dingo. Shifty could feel a tear gently sliding down his cheek as he thought of his big brother. If only Danny was given the chance to turned his life around and redeem himself. Shifty remembered how Danny hugged him goodbye, it was the only time Danny had ever hugged his little brother. The hug felt warm, as if Danny had been holding a warmth in his heart deep down. The dingo wiped the tear away before anyone noticed he was crying and put the photo away.

It was everyone's first day at Greenpatch High and it was much bigger than any elementary school. All of Miss Magpie's students graduated from her class and on their last day at school, they all attended the graduation ceremony. All the kids were crying when they said goodbye to Miss Magpie, including Blinky and Marcia. Shifty was practically crying a river when he said goodbye to Miss Magpie, he remembered the bittersweet feeling of graduating and bawling so hard he could barely say a straight sentence as he hugged Miss Magpie goodbye. Blinky was eventually dropped out of reform school and joined Miss Magpie's class for the ceremony. While Blinky was away, Splodge took over as the leader of the Blinky Bill gang. A lot had changed and Blinky's friends had to fill in Blinky on what he missed. Blinky was shocked that Danny died and he actually hugged Shifty and told the dingo he was sorry for his loss.

The school bell rang and the young teens filed into class, what really surprised the kids was the fact Wombo was standing at the front of the class "Hello children, you all know me as . I've decided not to retire and spend the rest of my days teaching class."

"Gee, that's really nice of you." Shifty said.

"Yeah, It's nice to know you've still got energy in you." Splodge said.

Nutsy smiled, "So you'll be our teacher from now on?"

Wombo nodded, "Just please don't call me Wombo."

Two years passed in high school and a lot had changed yet a lot of things remained the same.

Blinky was practically the Ferris Bueller of Greenpatch High, always getting in trouble and pulling all sorts of stupid pranks, a couple of which got him suspended. He now wore a black leather jacket with sunglasses.

Nutsy became class president and leader of the cheerleading squad. A few cheerleaders questioned her relationship with resident emo kid Shifty Dingo but other cheerleaders kept oggling at Shifty and trying to flirt with him, finding him cute despite the fact he was a bad athlete. Nutsy was very kindhearted and helpful and wore a white cheerleader uniform with a red heart on it and a purple miniskirt.

Splodge was the lovable quarterback of the Greenpatch High football team. He often wore a blue football jersey with pants as opposed to the overalls he once wore. Unlike the other football players, he treated Shifty with respect, often acting as a bodyguard to him.

Flap was the nerd of the class and the one kid who could rival Shifty as the smartest kid in class. He now wore a red bowtie and glasses along with a white buttoned shirt. He'd often buy a ton of junk food and hang with his gamer friends, playing video games when chowing down on chips and soda.

Marcia was still a big bully despite her small size and had one time bit all the strings off of Shifty's guitar for a quick laugh. She was suspended multiple times from Greenpatch high and eventually expelled for biting another mouse. She was then kicked out of Blinky's group for excessive violence and anger problems. She dressed like a gangster, wearing a black hoodie with a red ski hat.

Shifty Dingo was the kindhearted and sensitive emo kid of Greenpatch High. He now wore a black shirt with black and white striped sleeves and he also wore a silver earring on his left ear. Unlike the other emo kids, he often stood up for himself rather than cry if bullied as he had taken martial arts. He still cried pretty easily though. Many other emo kids as well as football players were jealous of him for dating Nutsy, the big cheerleader on campus. Shifty would often write poetry and music and play acoustic guitar. He wasn't very athletic but he made up for it with his high intelligence.

The school bell rang and the teens got out of class.

"So Nutsy." Shifty said, "How's about another date this Saturday?"

Nutsy blushed, "I'd love to, Shifty but I have cheerleading practice. How about Sunday?"

Shifty smiled, "Okay, Sunday it is." And with that Shifty licked Nutsy on the cheek and she licked Shifty on the nose. He giggled a bit.

The dingo and koala's romance was quite the gossip on campus. Nevermind the fact one was a placental mammal and one was a marsupial, Nutsy was a popular cheerleader and Shifty was a nerdy emo kid. Many cheerleaders asked Nutsy why she dated Shifty and she always responded with "he needs to be loved". Although they were practically the nicest kids in high school, the koala girl and dingo boy often recieved ridicule for their romance but no matter what, they were deeply in love with one another. Ma Dingo always expected Shifty to be a late bloomer, but she was surprised by the ammount of time he spent cuddling with Nutsy. However, Shifty took a vow of chastity and swore never to have sex with Nutsy until after they marry. This made Nutsy a bit on edge as she wanted to get intimate with the shy young dingo but she respected his wishes.

Shifty arrived home and sat down, "Hi, Ma. I'm home."

"Oh, that's nice. Now go to your room, I don't feel like talking." Ma said.

Shifty rolled his eyes, "So warm and understanding." The young dingo said sarcastically under his breath.

Shifty walked to his room and thought a bit. He thought about how his friends used to laugh at him for being a coward. He snarled at the thought of Marcia laughing at him and verbally abusing him. Then he turned his attention to the attic, he remembered how terrified he was of the attic. Danny used to scare him with tales of a boogieman that lived in his attic who ate little dingoes and kept their bones as trophies. Shifty remembered how these stories scared him so bad he would run to his mother in tears and beg for her to hold him until he stopped crying. Ma just ignored him and told him there was no such thing as monsters, not even bothering to hug Shifty as he cried his sad puppy dog eyes out. She then told him to turn off the waterworks because "real dingoes don't cry."

One time Danny even hid in the attic and pretended to be a monster to scare the daylights out of Shifty. Shifty ran to Daisy crying really hard and Daisy scolded Danny for his mean prank. Gathering all the courage he could, Shifty had entered the attic of the dingo household for the very first time.

Shifty looked around and shivered, he frantically looked for a light switch and he flipped it on. Even with the light on, Shifty felt as if he was being watched by something in then shadows. He could feel the salty tears of fear sting his eyes and he rubbed his eyes with his paws. No, there was no way he was gonna cry over something this mundane, he was a big dingo now.

He walked over to a stack of boxes and saw a bunch of dusty old papers in the boxes, he wiped the dust off with his paw and he noticed he was holding what appeared to be Daisy's birth certificate. He then looked under that paper and found Meatball and his own birth certificates. His eyes scanned across the certificates, carefully reading them and it wasn't long before Shifty's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. All 3 dingoes had different fathers, meaning they were only half-siblings to him. Shifty bit his lip and choked back the bitter tears. Ma Dingo had lied to him, she told him that they all came from the same father and that he died in a car accident.

Tearfully, Shifty crawled down the ladder leading to the attic and he could feel his heart burning with a whole new kind of rage. The handsome young dingo marched straight towards Ma Dingo who was washing dishes in the kitchen and he glared at her through tear-filled eyes.

"Care to explain THESE!" Shifty snarled, slamming the stack of papers down on the table. Ma Dingo turned her attention to Shifty and gave him a dirty look, "What were you doing snooping around in the attic?"

"I was looking for an attic monster but I found something so much more disturbing." Shifty hissed sarcastically.

Ma just glared at Shifty, her secret was out. Shifty just snarled at her with hot tears of anger streaming down his muzzle, "You lied to me, Mom. I can't BELIEVE YOU'D LIE TO ME!" Shifty screamed.

"Now listen here, Shifty..." Ma said.

"Oh, I'm listening all right. Care to explain what happened to my birth siblings?" Shifty asked.

Ma Dingo sighed, "I sold them for drug money."

"YOU DID WHAT! What is WRONG WITH YOU!" Shifty snarled, burning hot tears of anger falling off his face.

"I only want whats best for you, Shifty." Ma said.

Shifty just chuckled sarcastically and rolled his eyes, "What's best for me, you say. Gee, you sure did a bangup job at raising your son. You tried to brainwash me, tell me that dingoes are society's outcasts. Uh, hell no, Ma. You are so dead wrong about that. I've made plenty of friends throughout my stay in Greenpatch. Meanwhile, you just sit on your ass cooking and cleaning while growling nasty remarks about everyone around you. Being a dingo has nothing to do with being a jerk. So you see, Ma? YOU'RE THE PROBLEM!

Ma raised her fist and tried to strike her son, it wasn't long before Shifty's palm caught her fist and he grinned at her, "So, you think you're gonna punch out your own son just cause I gave you the cold hard facts? You know, you could always try to change for once and stop being such a bitch about everything. I remember when I broke my leg and you kept me in bed. If Blinky hadn't built the wheelchair for me, I would've never been on a picnic and I would've cried myself to sleep. You could've AT LEAST CONSIDERED GIVING ME CRUTCHES!" Shifty screamed.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Ma shouted.

"How dare I what? Train in martial arts so I could defend myself against jerks like you? I'm sorry but until you start treating me with respect and kindness, I'm not gonna ease up on you one bit! So, if you'll excuse me, I have bags to pack cause I quit this accursed family!" Shifty shouted.

And with that, Shifty dashed off to his room while crying uncontrollably. Ma Dingo rolled her eyes, "Stubborn fool."


	2. Escape

_Poor Shifty Dingo. Oh well, at least Nutsy is there for him._

Shifty sat in his room, sobbing uncontrollably as he took a pen and paper from his backpack. He sat down at his desk and began writing. Tears were running down Shifty's muzzle and falling onto the paper like raindrops, smudging the ink in places as he cried. The note he was writing was addressed to Nutsy. He was going to leave Greenpatch for good and hoping she'd come with him to comfort him and be there for him. Eventually, he finished the letter and sat down on his bed and he hugged Nutsy's doll close to his chest. A few more tears rolled off his muzzle, dripping off his nose and hitting the dirt floor of his bedroom, darkening it in small drops.

"I'm so sorry, Mama. I'm so sorry, Nutsy. I'm so sorry, Danny. I'm so sorry, Daisy. I'm so sorry, Meatball." Shifty sobbed quietly to himself as he hugged the life out of Nutsy's doll. As he cried, the young dingo continued to pack his bag and set off for his journey. He couldn't wait to skip town. All his life, he was the joke of Greenpatch. Always the one with egg on his face and a broken heart. He has friends in the Blinky Bill gang but none of them had the deep, understanding connection with him that Nutsy had.

Shifty set off for the koala household wearing a backpack and holding the tearstained letter in his paw. He just walked out on the dingo family and in his mind, there was no turning back unless Nutsy could convince him. He walked through Greenpatch and eventually came to the koala house. Letting out a nervous sigh, he knocked on the door of the house and Nutsy opened the door.

She was greeted to the sight of the tearful, heartbroken dingo handing her a letter. He was crying so hard he could barely speak. As Nutsy unfolded the letter, she noticed the ink was smeared in places where Shifty's tears had fallen, "Shifty, did you cry when you wrote this? It's all wet and the writing is smudged." Shifty sniffled and nodded.

Nutsy felt her heart break as she read the letter:  
>Dear Nutsy, I can't stay in this town anymore. I've suffered way too much here and I don't know how much more my heart can take it. For years, I've been humiliated and tortured both physically and psychologically and I just want to run away from this cursed town. You are the only one who truly understands my feelings, I don't even know if I could call my dysfunctional family a family anymore. So please, Nutsy. Let me stay the night at your house and tomorrow, we'll run away from it all and start a brand new life together. Please, Nutsy. I love you with all my heart so please don't let me down. Yours truly, Shifty Dingo.<p>

Nutsy could feel salty tears running off her nose and onto the letter, smudging it even further. She threw her arms around Shifty and whispered in his ear, "I'll see what I can do."

Shifty nodded and they entered the house. "Hey mom, is it all right if Shifty sleeps over with us?"

"I'm okay with that dear." Blinky.s mother said.

The dingo threw his arms around Nutsy, "Thank you." Shifty whispered tearfully.

Shifty and Nutsy walked over to Nutsy's room and they closed the door.

"So why are you running away from home, Shifty?" Nutsy asked.

Shifty sighed, "I just found out all my siblings have different fathers, meaning they're only my half siblings. My mother has been lying to me this whole time." Shifty's voice started cracking as he fought back the tears, "All my birth siblings were sold off for drug money, she always told me that my father died in a car accident and I believed her. She always told me that dingoes were born to be mean, nasty and rotten. I...I don't wanna be like that, Nutsy. I...just want someone to love me!" The dingo was now bawling with tears streaming down his face and Nutsy pulled him into a warm embrace.

"Shhhh...don't cry, Shifty. I'm here. I'll always be here for you." Nutsy said, cradling the poor dingo.

Shifty pulled back and looked at Nutsy, "Please, Nutsy. I want to run away from it all. It hurts so bad, Nutsy. Tonight, let's both run away from Greenpatch. Just you and I and no one else." he choked out.

"I would but-" Nutsy started.

Shifty begged Nutsy with tear-filled puppy dog eyes, "Please, Nutsy, please! I don't want to be alone anymore. I want someone to love me and your the only one who does."

Nutsy put her arm around Shifty and gently ran her fingers along the tear tracks running down Shifty's face, "I'm not the only one who loves you, you know. You have many friends here in Greenpatch, you have..."

Shifty could feel his hot tears burning his eyes like acid, "I know that." He sniffed, "But I just want to get away from my mother. So, please...you just gotta." Shifty wept softly, squeezing Nutsy's paw.

Nutsy held the dingo close to her, "All right. We'll leave Greenpatch tonight."

Suddenly, there was a pounding on the door, "It's Ma Dingo, OPEN UP! I know you have my boy in there!"

"Quick, let's get outta here." Nutsy said. And the koala and dingo scurried out the back window and escaped into the night unnoticed.

"I know you have my son in there!" Ma shouted.

Nutsy's father opened the door, "Ma'am, You're son was in tears where he came here. He was very upset and he kept asking for Nutsy."

"Nutsy! I knew it, I just knew it. That two-timing whore has just ran off with my boy!" Ma snarled.

"No, they're safe and sound. There's nothing to worry about." Nutsy's father led Ma Dingo into Nutsy's room and noticed it was locked. With all her might, Ma rammed the door down and glared at an empty room with in open window, "See? Just like I told you, they ran off!"

"Oh my, I guess they did run off." Nutsy's father said.

"YA THINK!" Ma Dingo snarled.

Meanwhile, Shifty and Nutsy were running towards to forest panting. "You think we lost Ma Dingo?" Nutsy asked.

"I think so." Shifty replied, trying to catch his breath.

"Looks like we're gonna be roughing it for a while." Nutsy said.

"Hey, if we survived that earthquake and long journey home, we can survive being homeless for a while." Shifty said.

"You think our parents will be looking for us?" Nutsy asked.

Shifty raised his eyebrow a little at Nutsy and she sighed, "Sorry about that, dumb question."

Shifty smiled and licked Nutsy on the cheek, "It's okay, we'll be just fine. I need some alone time from Ma, anyway. She's far too shallow to realize there's more to dingoes than just prowling and conning people. Not all dingoes are like that, someday she'll learn."

Nutsy hugged Shifty and kissed him on the side of his muzzle,"And if it rains, we'll have shelter in each others arms."

Shifty blushed a little and chuckled, "Yeah, nothing like a warm cuddle or two to keep our body temperatures up."

The koala and dingo walked further into the forest and sat down.

"We'll set up camp here, I brought a single two-person sleeping bag for us to sleep in." Shifty said.

Nutsy began to drool a bit at the thought of snuggling up to Shifty and she wiped her mouth, "Nutsy? Are you feeling okay?"

Nutsy blushed, "Oh nothing, nothing. Just thinking about us getting all warm and cozy next to each other."

"I really turn you on, don't I?" Shifty asked.

"Yes, I find your weakness and vulnerable personality quite sexy." Nutsy admitted.

"You sure have changed since we were kids, haven't you?" Shifty said.

Nutsy nodded, "I guess so."

Shifty smiled at her and nuzzled her cheek. Nutsy giggled as she felt her canine boyfriend's cold wet nose press against her cheek.

"Let's get the fire going. I'm sorry I didn't have time to score us food on the way out." Shifty said.

"It's okay, Shifty. I'm on a diet anyway." Nutsy said.

"So am I." Shifty replied, "You wanna know what they put in hot dogs? I watched a documentary about it in class once, I've been eating tofu dogs since."

"Oh yeah, I remember that. Those poor insects..." Nutsy said.

Shifty turned pale and put his paw on his mouth, "Oh, please don't remind me."

Nutsy giggled, "Sorry."

The koala and dingo set up camp and fell asleep under the stars, Nutsy could feel the world melting around her as she gazed deep into Shifty's eyes. She leaned forward and kissed the dingo on the lips, "Good night, Shifty."

Shifty smiled back at her, "Good night, Nutsy."

Meanwhile, Daisy and Ma were discussing Shifty running away.

"It's no wonder he ran away, Ma. It was bound to happen sooner or later." Daisy said.

"He's an ungrateful little crybaby brat if there ever was one. I'm sick of him and his crying all the time. He's an embarassment to the dingo family name, that's what he is." Ma snarled.

"I can't believe you're saying these things about your own son. Can you even imagine what he's going through right now? I mean he just hit high school, of course he's going to be rebellious. It's what teens do, Ma." Daisy said.

"Adolescent Shifty crying all the time and writing sad poetry." Ma groaned, "All that whining keeps me up at night. It's like having a gay son who isn't even gay at all. In fact, I'd rather have a gay son who acts like a real dingo than a wimp like him."

"You know what? Just forget it. You're too stubborn to even care about him. I hope he finds a better family out there cause we did a wonderful job at raising him." Daisy said sarcastically.

"Just shut up and get out of my face, I need to go somewhere." Ma snorted.

Daisy glared at Ma as she walked out of the house, "Unbelievable."

And with that, Ma Dingo walked up to Danny's grave and sat down in front of it, "Oh Danny, my son. I'm so sorry for ever hurting you like that. All those things I've done to you, it's no wonder you turned out that way."

And with that Ma Dingo hugged Danny's tombstone and started crying.


	3. Sympathy And Sex

_WARNING: This chapter contains a sex scene near the end of it between Shifty and Nutsy. But hey, they're teenagers in this fic. It's bound to happen sooner or later._

Shifty yawned and stretched and began shaking Nutsy, "Nutsy, wake up, it's morning already."

Nutsy yawned and stretched, "Oh, good morning Shifty. I had the craziest dream last night. You and I were married and I introduced you to my mother. It was as if she never even died at all. It felt so real." A tear trickled down Nutsy's cheek and Shifty gently licked it away with his tongue.

Shifty thought a bit, "Maybe it's a message from beyond the grave. Maybe your mother is telling you that you're safe in my hands and that no matter where you go, she'll be watching over you."

Nutsy smiled at Shifty, "Did you have any dreams last night?"

Shifty nodded, "I had a dream, a very good dream. My family and I were on a picnic and we were laughing and smiling with each other. You were there too and so was Danny. And Danny was smiling and laughing too. There were no scams, no wild schemes. Just good warm family fun. Sadly, it was only a dream." Shifty whimpered as a tear slid down his cute face.

Nutsy wrapped her arms around Shifty and wiped the tear away with her bandana, "I bet you wish your family wasn't so dysfunctional all the time, right?"

Shifty nodded, feeling the bitter salty taste of his tears in his throat and tried his best to choke them back, "Yeah, why can't I just come from a loving family like yours?" he whimpered.

Nutsy snuggled Shifty really tightly and eventually released her grip when he calmed down. Shifty shivered and wiped his eyes with his paws.

"You all right?" Nutsy asked.

Shifty nodded, "I think so."

"I'm starving. Let's go get some breakfast somewhere. I'm sure if we keep trekking through the bush, we'll find a village." Nutsy said.

"Yeah, we hardly ever get out of Greenpatch. So why not explore a little?" Shifty asked.

"You're much braver than you used to be, Shifty. I'll just say that." Nutsy said.

"I took lessons in martial arts so I've toughened up a bit. I only fight when I really have to, though. I've got your back, just like you've got mine." Shifty replied, a smile growing on his muzzle.

"How are the lessons coming, Shifty?" Nutsy asked.

"So far so good." Shifty replied, "I'm currently a 4th Kyu, green belt. I've been taking lessons independently with some help from Daisy."

"You see, Shifty? At least Daisy cares about you." Nutsy said.

"Yeah, she does some really nice things for me sometimes." Shifty said, "But I just can't take Ma anymore. She just doesn't understand how I feel."

Meanwhile, there was a gathering in Greenpatch.

"Now I'd like everyone to calm down. We need to be looking for Shifty and Nutsy. Last night, they ran away from Greenpatch and their families are very worried about them." Mayor Pelican said.

"Yeah, those two wouldn't make it by themselves in the wilderness." Jacko laughed.

Daisy glared at Jacko, "Shifty's a smart kid and he's been taking martial arts. He's toughened up, so don't take my little brother for a wimp!"

Jacko gulped at Daisy, "Well, let's go look for them anyways."

Splodge sighed, "After all he's been though, I'm not surprised Shifty ran away from Greenpatch. If I were him, I'd run away too. But Nutsy."

"Shifty and Nutsy are really close, have you seen them crying and licking each other's tears and all those pet names? It's just sickening!" Flap groaned.

Blinky chuckled, "Yeah, they pretty much have made themselves perfect prank fodder."

Jacko smiled, "Remember the time you prank called Shifty using Nurse Angelina's voice and told him that Nutsy was in a coma? Shifty rushed down the the hospital and was all crying so hard I thought they'd issue a flash flood warning in Greenpatch. And on that day, he was wearing Daisy's makeup and had all these dark lines of tears running down his face. You should've seen the look on his face when he found out it was all a prank. I thought he was going to rip your head off, Blinky!"

Splodge glared at Jacko, "That was NOT a funny prank."

Jacko chuckled a bit, "I'm sorry but it was too priceless!"

Flap chuckled, "Of course Blinky was the one who got sent to the hospital after Nutsy decked him for the prank."

"Serves him right." Splodge said.

"Uhhhh...you guys, I'm right here. I can hear every word." Blinky said.

Daisy glared at Blinky, "That wasn't very nice. Someone should prank you back even harder."

"Yeah." Splodge said.

Blinky just laughed a bit, "I guess I did go a bit far that time."

Meanwhile, it was getting close to noon and Shifty and Nutsy came across a locked crate with a banana label on it.

Nutsy looked at Shifty, "Got any lock cutters? I'm starving."

Shifty blushed a bit, "Well, Danny one time taught me how to pick locks with my claw. But I don't want to steal, code of honor, you know."

"I DON'T CARE!" Nutsy snarled at Shifty, "I'm starving SO PICK THE LOCK NOW!"

Shifty's ears wilted, "All right, all right. Jeez, did they teach you yelling at cheerleading squad practice as well as cheering?" The dingo asked sarcastically.

Nutsy sighed, "I'm sorry for snapping at you, Shifty. I always get rather testy when I'm hungry."

Shifty smiled at her as he picked the lock with his clawnail, "It's all right, Nutsy. I understand." The dingo opened the crate and a bunch of bananas spilled out, "Well, this should keep us going for a while." Shifty chuckled.

"Now all we need is ice cream." Nutsy said.

"And hot fudge, too!" Shifty added.

"And whipped cream so I could lick if off your-" Nutsy began.

Shifty blushed "Woah, woah woah. Let's not go there, Nutsy. Remember my chastity vow."

Nutsy rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah, I forgot."

And with that, the dingo and koala gorged on the bananas together and snuggled into each other's warm soft fur, falling asleep in the warm afternoon sun, their tummies full of food.

Meanwhile, the whole town of Greenpatch formed a search party in the forest, Mayor Pelican spoke "If we split up, we'll cover more ground. Wombo and Miss Magpie will stay here. Blinky, Splodge and Daisy, you search the north. Flap, Marcia and Meatball, you search the west. Blinky and Nutsy's parents and Ma Dingo, you search the east. and I will go south. The rest of you stay at base camp, I provided each of us with a walkie talkie in case we get lost. Now let's search people!"

The northern team set off on foot and it wasn't long before Daisy struck up a conversation with Blinky and Splodge, "Can you believe Ma? You know, I blame her on Shifty running away. If she wasn't so hard on him and didn't lie to him, none of this would have happened!"

"What did she lie to him about?" Splodge asked.

"Is it really any of your business?" Daisy asked Splodge.

"Well, yeah. Shifty's my friend so I think I should know." Splodge said.

"Oh nice, we get to hear a story!" Blinky said.

Daisy sighed and rolled her eyes, "Oh, all right. You see, we dingoes had 4 different birth fathers. I just learned it as well so Shifty's not the only one whose mad at Ma. I told Meatball, he didn't really seem to care, though."

"Sounds pretty complicated if you ask me." Splodge said.

"Don't you get it?" Daisy groaned, "Ma used to be a prostitute."

"Thanks for putting that image in my head, I think I shall now throw up." Blinky said sarcastically.

"Yeah, thinking about it makes me sick too." Daisy said.

Meanwhile, Shifty's mother and Nutsy's parents were walking through the bush.

"It's all your fault and your son's fault my daughter ran away." Blinky's mom growled.

Nutsy's father "Now dear, let's not go and blame Shifty. After all he..."

"...helped bring the family together, I know." Blinky's mother groaned.

"You know, if you daughter wasn't such a whore, Shifty wouldn't be mixed up in all this." Ma Dingo said.

"How dare you! My daughter's not a whore, your emo son got them into the whole mess!" Blinky's mother yelled.

"Now let's calm down, everyone." Nutsy's father said.

"HOW ABOUT NOT?" Ma Dingo shouted as she pushed .

Blinky's mother growled, "That does it, let's fight!" And then, the mothers of Shifty and Nutsy began hitting and kicking each other.

"Please, please, please. Everyone, break it up." Nutsy's father said. "Let's just stop fighting and search for Shifty and Nutsy like Mayor Pelican said."

Blinky mother sighed, "You're right, fighting won't solve anything."

"Good." Nutsy's father said and they went off searching for the koala and dingo.

Meanwhile, Shifty and Nutsy were out camping near a village.

"Just you and I. Wow, it feels so peaceful and calm." Shifty said.

"I sure hope this trip eased your mind, Shifty." Nutsy said, giving Shifty a soothing back massage.

Shifty moaned with pure pleasure as Nutsy's paws rubbed slowly at his back, "Oh, Shifty. I love everything about you. The sound of your laughter, the taste of your tears, the warm softness of your fur, the sparkle in your eyes...I don't know how the others see you but. I see you as beautiful. Shifty, I wish I could feel your pain so I could relate to you. I want to connect to your soul and vanquish your inner demons so you feel secure again."

Shifty hung his head and sighed, "Thanks, Nutsy. But there's always a part of me that will feel empty. I know just how much you love me and it moves me so but my family..." Shifty choked back a sob, "...my family just doesn't get me. I can't even connect with them anymore. When I found out about the effects of their scams and stuff, I was appalled. I was really mad at Danny for quite some time after the Club Pet thing he pulled."

Nutsy sighed, "I remember that. Even I was shocked by what he did." Nutsy put her hand on Shifty's shoulder, "But you forgave him in the end and that's what counts."

Shifty wiped his eyes and looked over to a nearby homeless echidna holding a guitar, "I'll be right back, Nutsy."

Shifty approached the echidna, "Mind if you borrow your guitar?"

The echidna nodded, "Sure, man. Just give it back when you're through."

"Thank you" Shifty said, taking the guitar and walking over to Nutsy.

Shifty began to strum on the guitar and sing:

_I don't know where I'm going, but I sure know where I've been  
>Hanging on the promises in the songs of yesterday<br>And I've made up my mind  
>I ain't wasting no more time<br>Here I go again, here I go again_

_Though I keep searching for an answer  
>I never seem to find what I'm looking for<br>Oh Lord, I pray you give me strength to carry on  
>'Cause I know what it means<br>To walk along the lonely street of dreams_

_Here I go again on my own  
>Going down the only road I've ever known<br>Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone  
>And I've made up my mind<br>I ain't wasting no more time_

_I'm just another heart in need of rescue  
>Waiting on love's sweet charity<br>And I'm gonna hold on for the rest of my days  
>'Cause I know what it means<br>To walk along the lonely street of dreams_

_And here I go again on my own  
>Going down the only road I've ever known<br>Like a drifter, I was born to walk alone  
>And I've made up my mind<br>I ain't wasting no more time, here I go again_

The handsome dingo finished singing and walked over to the homeless man, handing his guitar back.

"Thanks for letting me borrow this." Shifty said.

"No problem, man." The homeless echidna man said, applauding Shifty's performance of Whitesnake, surprised Shifty didn't sing Simple Plan or Fall Out Boy instead.

The dingo then walked over to Nutsy and sat down by her. Shifty felt a tear slide down his muzzle towards the end of his nose. Nutsy leaned in and licked the salty tear off Shifty's face with her tongue, "You might think you're alone, Shifty but I'm always here beside you. Even if your own family disowns you and leaves you in the rain, I'll be your shelter. I love you no matter what, Shifty."

Shifty giggled as he felt Nutsy's tongue lick the tear from his muzzle and he sighed, "I've always wondered what Danny would've been like if he was a nice brother. The day he hugged me goodbye, the warmth I felt from that hug...it was as if he was telling me that deep down he cared for me and loved me. It makes me so sad, it makes me so sad that he had to die like that."

Shifty began to cry again at the thought of his dead brother and warm tears were now rolling down his snout. Nutsy watched helplessly as Shifty cried for a couple of minutes then she threw her arms around him and began greedily licking the tears from his face, running her tongue along Shifty's tearstained muzzle and nipping softly at his ears. She moved her arm down Shifty's back and grabbed his tail. The little dingo let out a yelp of pain.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, Shifty, I didn't mean to!" Nutsy shouted.

Shifty sighed, "It's okay, Nutsy. Just remember my tail is a very sensitive area after what Jeromy did to me."

Nutsy nodded, tears of remorse filling her eyes, she then leaned on the dingo and snorted in his musky canine scent. The warmth of Shifty's body heat, the silky soft feel of Shifty's fur, the intoxicatingly salty taste of Shifty's tears and the musky odor of Shifty's scent. All four elements combined were enough to send the koala into orgasm overdrive.

Nutsy moaned with pure pleasure as she rubbed against Shifty, "Let's just skip the talk and get on with the sex, Shifty. You're so hot, you're burning me up!"

Shifty blushed, "But I just took a vow of chastity! I know you're turned on by me but I set myself to standards."

"F**k chastity. Chastity can wait. Please, let's have sex. NOW!" Nutsy moaned, ripping her clothes off and cuddling the dingo.

"Well, okay. If you say so." Shifty said, blushing while taking his shirt off.

And with that, Nutsy could feel Shifty's penis going into her cloaca. She couldn't believe it. One of her biggest fantasies was coming true, sex with Shifty Dingo. She moaned as she felt Shifty's semen enter her body. The dingo tried his hardest to make the sex as comfortable as possible in spite of the reproductive organ difference.

The koala and dingo engaged in hot, steamy, passionate, interspecies sex for what seemed like hours. Nutsy had never felt so intimate with Shifty in her whole life. It wasn't long before Nutsy and Shifty were covered in sex juice and eventually stopped having intercourse.

Nutsy smiled, "So that's what sex feels like. Wow. Losing my virginity to someone as hot as you, Shifty. That just felt electrifying." Shifty blushed as Nutsy continued to lick at the dingo's erect penis.

Shifty smiled, "The good thing about that is the fact you won't get pregnant. I'm a mammal, you're a marsupial so we won't be able to breed. But the bad news about that is, we won't be able to have children of our own so we'd have to adopt." The dingo said, wiping a tear from his eye.

Nutsy sighed, "You're right about that, Shifty. I'm sorry, it was wrong for me to act perverted towards you when you were crying over Danny."

"Don't sweat it, Nutsy. You just got a little horny comforting me. One thing lead to another." Shifty walked over to a nearby pond and used the water to wash himself clean of the sex juices, "How about you, Nutsy? Are you gonna wash up?"

Nutsy blushed and licked Shifty's juices off of her fur, "No, I actually like being covered in your semen."

Shifty's eyes went really wide and he blushed, "Look Nutsy, this whole sex thing is just between you and me. Don't go telling anyone about it, okay? So you need to wash the evidence off of you, all right?"

Nutsy frowned and nodded, "You're right, Shifty. Why do you always have to be so smart?"

Shifty shrugged, "Just born that way, I guess."

And with that, Nutsy joined Shifty in washing herself clean of any sex residue. The koala and dingo pulled towels out of Shifty's backpack and dried themselves off before falling asleep together.

The homeless echidna chuckled after watching the whole dingo/koala lovefest, "Now that's what I call late night entertainment!"


	4. In The Shadows

_This chapter contains some rather disturbing gore in it. Oh well, at least it's all just a dream._

Shifty and Nutsy's eyes opened and they saw 3 familiar faces staring back at them: Flap, Marcia and Meatball Dingo.

"Hey...you guys. What's going on?" Shifty asked.

"We were looking for you, you dipshits!" Marcia cussed.

"Yeah, why did you run away from Greenpatch?" Flap asked.

"Is it any of your business?" Nutsy asked.

"You're coming with us!" Meatball growled, grabbing Nutsy by the arm.

"YOU TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HER, MEATBALL!" Shifty screamed as he punched Meatball in the gut. The blow from Shifty's punch had so much force behind it, Meatball doubled over.

Flap spoke into the walkie talkie, "We found them."

It wasn't long before the rest of Greenpatch arrived. Two police officers put Shifty and Nutsy in handcuffs and led them to the back on a police vehicle.

"Why are you arresting us?" Shifty asked the officer.

"Kidnapping." The officer said.

"WHAT? So then why are you arresting Nutsy for?" Shifty asked.

"Running away from home." The officer said.

"But that's ridiculous! She did it by her own free will!" Shifty said.

"You begged her, you mangy dingo." Blinky's mother said.

Mangy. That word felt like a knife being stuck in Shifty's heart coming from Nutsy's stepmother. Tears began to spill from his eyes, "I'm so sorry." he whimpered.

"Tell it to the judge!" Blinky's mother growled.

"SHUT UP AND LEAVE HIM ALONE, MOM!" Nutsy screamed, "YOU'RE NOT EVEN MY REAL MOTHER SO YOU CAN'T ORDER ME AROUND LIKE THIS! I love Shifty, end of story so if any of you has something to say about it, you can all just KISS MY ASS!"

Blinky's mother gasped at Nutsy's shocking reaction and she ran off crying.

"Let me at the mangy dingo-lover. I'll knock her block off!" Marcia snarled.

"So you want a piece of me, Marcia? Well come and get it!" Nutsy yelled.

"GLADLY!" Marcia screamed, leaping at Nutsy who was in the police car. Nutsy kicked Marcia off her and slammed the door of the cop car.

"Both of you are going straight to jail. Nutsy, you are now charged with disorderly conduct as well." The officer said.

And with that, Shifty and Nutsy were shipped off to the Greenpatch police station.

Both the dingo and koala were being led into the station and got their paw prints and mugshots taken. Nutsy looked furious in hers while Shifty had tears running down his face while making sad puppydog eyes in his.

Nutsy was the first one led to her cell. As she was being led there, a torrent of angry, enraged thoughts flooded her mind. The thought of everything Shifty had to go through. The bullying, the torture, the false imprisonment, watching his brother die, his mother lying to him. Nutsy wanted to kill Ma Dingo over how she raised Shifty but she knew just how much that would upset him. If she had a dime for every tear Shifty shed, she would have rivalled Donald Trump. She wished she could sprout wings and carry Shifty off to a remote island where she could heal him with all the love and care in her heart.

Hot, angry tears rolled down Nutsy's face as the jail cell slammed shut behind her, "Oh Shifty. What you've been through. It's not fair. IT'S JUST NOT FAIR DAMMIT!" she screamed, pounding on the wall.

Meanwhile, Shifty was in the corner of his cell curled up into a fetal position weeping softly. He honestly wished he could die, he wished he was never born. He felt useless, like a nobody, like a coward and a weakling. He cursed himself for convincing Nutsy to run away from Greenpatch. Shifty wished he could literally drown the death in his own bitter tears. Life was so unfair, just when things were looking up for the dingo, there was always something there to bring him down and completely crush his sensitive little spirit into dust.

Suicide. Dark thoughts of suicide raced through Shifty's mind. The thought of slitting his own throat entered his mind, hanging himself, even trying seppuku. The more he thought about it, the harder and harder he cried. He looked like a trainwreck, fur completely matted with tears, snot and sweat as he shivered uncontrollably. Eventually, he cried so hard that his eyeballs literally ached to the point where one of the guards had to give the dingo a bottle of eye drops and 3 boxes of tissues.

Shifty closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Shifty's eyes snapped open and he saw Meatball and Daisy tied up and Jeromy standing in front of them grinning evilly.

"You know what I'm gonna do, Shifty? I'm gonna slowly torture your brother and sister to death one by one and you'll be forced to watch." Jeromy laughed.

Jeromy grabbed a meathook off the wall and approached Meatball first, "So, your name's Meatball, huh? I have a little friend I'd like you to meet called Meathook. He loves being soaked with dingo blood."

"Please don't hurt-" Meatball begged but was cut short by Jeromy plunging the meat hook on Meatball's tongue, ripping it clean out of his mouth. Meatball let out a terrible scream as blood gushed out of his tongueless mouth. Jeromy then plunged the meathook into both of Meatball's eyes, ripping them from their sockets as he whistled a cheerful tune. A now eyeless Meatball screamed in complete agony and Jeromy smirked, "Your music pleases me well, fat fuck. Now writhe in pain as I kill the rest of the family!"

Jeromy then went towards Daisy and picked up a small box and pointed a gun to her head, "Be a dear and open your mouth for me, it's feeding time."

Tears rolled down Daisy's cheeks as she heard a horrific buzzing coming from the box, "You see, I have a pet hornet I named Buddy. He's a Japanese giant hornet, one of the deadliest insects in the world. Once I force you to eat him, he will be inside you and the best part is, HE WON'T STOP STINGING! Just the mere thought of your vital organs being reduced to liquid makes me tingle with excitement."

Daisy hesitated at first but then he shocked her on the nose with a taser, causing her to yelp and with that, he opened the box and let the hornet crawl into Daisy's mouth. Daisy sobbed and begged as she could feel the hornet crawling around inside her throat and plunging it's stinger into her esophagus, injecting large ammounts of venom into her bloodstream. Eventually Daisy began gasping for air and Shifty watched with tears streaming down his cheeks as Daisy was slowly stung to death from the inside. Jeromy just couldn't stop laughing as Daisy whimpered, "What's the matter, did I take your breath away? I always have that effect on the ladies."

Jeromy then ripped Daisy's jeans off and began raping her while laughing. Daisy eventually suffocated to death as he raped the daylights out of her while the hornet stung her insides. Daisy went limp and Jeromy pushed her to the ground, snapping her arms like twigs with his bare hands. Meatball was still screaming as he bled out of his empty eye sockets and with that, Jeromy plunged the meathook into Meatball's skull, ripped his tiny brain out and began to casually snack on it.

Shifty screamed in horror and disgust as he was forced to watch and Jeromy turned to Shifty with Meatball's half-eaten brain in his hand, "I always save the best for last."

And with that, Jeromy pulled a curtain to reveal Nutsy tied to a chair.

Shifty gasped, "NUTSY! You wouldn't DARE!" he screamed furiously.

Jeromy smiled as he revved up a chainsaw, "Oh, I would." Jeromy then pressed the chainsaw against Nutsy and started carving away at the koala's flesh. Nutsy let out a horrific bloodcurdling scream as the chainsaw skinned her alive, blood splattering all over the place. Shifty's horrified face was covered in a mixture of tears and blood spatter as he watched the love of his life be skinned alive by the monster of a kangaroo.

Shifty was sobbing so hard it was impossible for him to speak. Nutsy begged for her life and Jeromy skinned her with the chainsaw until she was nothing but a skeleton. Jeromy gathered up Nutsy's discarded flesh and shoved it in Shifty's face, "EAT IT, YOU MANGY CUR!" Jeromy screamed.

Shifty refused so Jeromy just grinned and shocked him with a taser. Shifty yelped and Jeromy shoved Nutsy's flesh into Shifty's mouth. Shifty spit it out and snarled at Jeromy. The kangaroo just laughed and grinned at him, "I'm going to make your death the slowest, most painful experience you can possibly imagine. I'm going to make you beg for mercy and cry like a little pig!"

And with that, Jeromy dumped a beaker on hydrochloric acid into Shifty's taser burn and the little dingo let out a terrible shreik.

Shifty's eyes snapped open and he was breathing heavily. He could feel something mysteriously wet running down his muzzle. The drops eventually seeped into his mouth and they tasted very strongly of salt. "Tears." Shifty whispered to himself. He then knew he had been crying in his sleep.

Shifty looked around his cell. He was reminded of the time he was held captive in a barn by humans, worried that he would never see his friends again. He shook off the painful memory and thought back to his awful nightmare. Shifty recalled laying in bed one night then being suffocated by an invisible force. The force had the exact same threatening aura Jeromy had when he was first kidnapped and tortured by him. He struggled to fight it as it sucked the life from him like a bloodthirsty vampire. Then out of the blue another invisible force fought it back. Shifty remembered the good force had the exact same scent as his big brother Danny. Even in the afterlife, Danny was watching over and protecting him. He remembered feeling safe and secure as Danny's spirit fought Jeromy's evil spirit off of him. It was the most surreal night of his life.

The dingo sighed as the guard opened his cell, "Okay, Shifty. You're free to go."

Shifty gave the guard a sad smile, "Thanks..." he said.

Nutsy ran up to Shifty and hugged him, "Oh Shifty, I missed you so much! I thought you'd never get out!"

Shifty looked at the guard, "So I'm free to go?"

"All charges have been dropped. You can go home now." The guard said.

Nutsy kissed a tear off Shifty's face as she held him, "You hear that, Shifty? You're not gonna get locked up after all."

Shifty looked at Nutsy with his ears wilted, "I know but Nutsy, I keep having this recurring nightmare." Shifty's voice began to choke up with sobs, "I-i-i see Jeromy and he's killing my family and and...he's k-k-k-killing you and it's like I'm paralyzed." The dingo's shoulders racked with sobs as tears kept falling down his adorable face.

Nutsy wrapped her arms around him and let Shifty cry into her chest. She could feel the wetness of Shifty's tears soaking into her tank top as she gently massaged his back and held him tightly. Eventually, they broke the hug and Shifty whipped his tears away. "Thanks, Nutsy. That felt like a really refreshing cry, I'm so glad I got it out of my system."

Nutsy smiled, "That's what I'm here for. Are you sure you will be all right at home? Do you need me to escort you?"

Shifty sighed, "No, that won't be needed. I'll be all right. Besides, your parents must be worried sick about you."

Nutsy licked Shifty on the nose, "Yeah, you're right. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"All right, Nutsy. See you tomorrow." Shifty sighed. The dingo could taste the bitter vomit in the back of his throat so he choked it down and headed for home. He could feel guilt slowly eating away at his very soul like poison as he waved goodbye to Nutsy.

_No sleep  
>No sleep until I am done with finding the answer<br>Won't stop  
>Won't stop before I find a cure for this cancer<br>Sometimes  
>I feel I going down and so disconnected<br>Somehow  
>I know that I am haunted to be wanted<em>

_I've been watching  
>I've been waiting<br>In the shadows all my time  
>I've been searching<br>I've been living  
>For tomorrows all my life<br>_-The Rasmus, In The Shadows


	5. A Gem From The Heart

_A very, very bittersweet chapter._

When Shifty arrived home, he noticed Ma Dingo was fast asleep. He walked into the kitchen and pulled a knife out of the drawer. The dingo pressed the blade against his wrist as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have forced Nutsy to come along with me. I'm so selfish and stupid. She has a whole life to live. Scholarships, college, all that good stuff. I'm such a little failure, I don't even deserve someone as kind as Nutsy. Guess I'm just a dirty dingo after all." Shifty whispered to himself and he quickly slashed his wrist. Shifty's eyes widened in panic as the blood poured from his cut and he let out a soft whimper of pain.

Panicked, the dingo raced into the bathroom and opened the medicine chest, looking desperately for some gauze for his wound. Frantically, he threw everything from the medicine chest as the blood dripped from his wrist, staining the floor in red dots.

"Damn damn damn." Shifty snarled. He rushed out towards the kitchen and noticed Daisy was sitting at the table, "Daisy, Daisy, Daisy!" he shouted.

"What's wrong, Shifty?" Daisy asked approaching him and then she gasped at the sight of the bleeding gash across Shifty's left wrist, "Did...did you do this to yourself?" she asked.

Shifty nodded, his salty tears dripping off his face and landing directly on the cut, stinging it like acid. The teen dingo let out a horrific, piercing whine as his tears stung the cut, "I...I...I...couldn't find any gauze. It hurts, Daisy. It hurts really bad. Please help me, I don't wanna die."

"I'll see what I can do." Daisy said as she headed towards the attic.

Shifty waited a couple minutes for Daisy to return, staring at his cut the whole time. Eventually, Daisy crawled out of the attic holding a first aid kit. She took the gauze out of the kit and applied it to Shifty's cut wrist.

"So tell me, Shifty. Why did you cut yourself?" Daisy asked.

Shifty tried his best not to cry and spoke, "I was just so stressed about it. The whole running off with Nutsy thing. I could've ruined her life. She has a loving family that cares for her and I asked her to run away from them just so she could comfort me. I'm so selfish. I don't think she'll ever forgive me. I'm such a little failure, I can't even kill myself right."

Daisy wiped Shifty's tears away and patted him on the head, "It's okay, Shifty. Nutsy's a nice girl, I'm sure she'll forgive you and still love you. You know, you shouldn't go around cutting yourself because you feel upset, Shifty. I know you feel sad, but think about the future you're gonna have with Nutsy someday. If you kill yourself, none of that would ever happen."

Shifty sniffled and hugged his big sister, "Thanks, Daisy. I just hope things clear up by tomorrow."

"I'm sure they will, Shifty. I'm sure they will." Daisy sniffled as she stroked Shifty's back, warm tears rolling down her muzzle as she held her little brother tightly.

Shifty just gave Daisy that helpless puppy dog-eyed look that she was all too familiar with. Even as a teenager, it was a highly adorable look.

That night, Shifty climbed into bed and tries his best to think happy thoughts. The young dingo lay awake in bed for hours, all sorts of thoughts racing through his brain. Happy ones, sad ones, he really wasn't sure how to feel.

Shifty's eyes darted to the corner of his room and he felt a presence. Shifty blinked and rubbed his eyes a bit and he saw Danny Dingo before him, only Danny was see-through.

"Danny, is that you? But you're dead!" Shifty gasped.

"No, it's the queen of England. Of course it's your big brother!" Danny's ghost said.

Shifty climbed out of bed and ran towards Danny, trying to give him a hug but passing through him. Shifty looked at his empty paws with tears in his eyes, "Why am I not hugging you, Danny?"

"It's because I'm a ghost. Duh!" Danny's ghost responded.

And with that, Danny's ghost floated up to Shifty and wrapped his ectoplasmic arms around his little brother in a hug. Shifty could feel a warm spirit energy travelling through his body and pure joy filling his heart. Tears spilled out of Shifty's eyes and fell down his face as he attempted to bury his face in Danny's ectoplasmic chest and nuzzle him, "I'll always be your big brother, Shifty. I love you no matter what. Even if you do marry Nutsy, you'll always be my little brother and I'll be there watching for you and cheering every step of the way."

Danny's ghost released Shifty from the hug and Shifty looked at Danny, his eyes red from crying, "So, you really care about me?"

Danny's ghost smiled, "Shifty, you're my flesh and blood. Caring about you is in the job description."

Shifty didn't know what to say, he was absolutely speechless, he just gave Danny the biggest smile he could in spite of his tear-filled eyes.

Suddenly, Danny began slowly fading away, "D-Danny, where are you going? Please don't leave me!" Shifty sobbed.

Danny groaned, "I'm not gonna leave you, I'll always be alive in your heart."

A single tear escaped Shifty's eye and rolled down his face and Danny's ectoplasmic paw grabbed the tear off Shifty's face and held it in his fist. As if by magic, Danny had transformed the tear Shifty shed into a beautiful, sparkling diamond.

Shifty gasped, "How...how did you do that?"

Danny just grinned at Shifty and handed him the crystallized tear, "El Diablo never reveals his secrets. Be sure to give that tear to Nutsy, cause it didn't come from your eye, Shifty. It came from in here." Danny's ghost said, pointing to his own chest.

"Thank you." Shifty sniffled, smiling as he watched Danny's ghost slowly fade away. He could feel a warm gentle breeze drying away any tears that remained wet on his face, as if Danny's ghost was gently brushing away his tears.

Eventually, Danny Dingo's ghost had completely vanished and Shifty climbed into bed and fell asleep, putting his crystallized diamond-tear under his pillow.

When the sun rose up, Shifty got out of bed and yawned, he looked at his calendar and noticed something odd about the date. It was May 9th, the birthday of Nutsy's mother and Shifty had a pretty good idea where Nutsy would be on that day.

Nutsy sat alone in front of her mother's grave. It was her mother's birthday and Nutsy set a teddy bear on her mother's grave and sat back and stared at it with tear-filled eyes.

"Oh, mother..." Nutsy choked out, salty tears dripping down her face and darkening the pavement in spots. The koala began crying softly and it wasn't long before she heard someone else crying. She could feel something wet dripping upon her dress, chills run down her spine as a paw gently massaged her back and a head rested on her shoulder, she turned her head to see Shifty crying. Warm salty tears were trickling down his muzzle and off his nose onto her dress.

Shifty opened his eyes and gave Nutsy a relaxed yet tearful smile, "Mind if I cry with you, Nutsy? I can't let you be the only one mourning your mother's death."

Nutsy sighed and hugged Shifty, "Oh, Shifty. I wish you could've met her. She was a very kind, gentle, understanding woman."

Shifty nuzzled Nutsy's cheek with his long muzzle. She could feel Shifty's tears soak into her cheekfur and she giggled as his wet nose tickled her, "And so are you, Nutsy. One day you'll grow into a beautiful daffodil, just like the one I found on mothers day."

Nutsy and Shifty leaned forward and began kissing each other on the lips, still crying as their tears rolled into each other's mouths. The koala and dingo could taste the salt of each other's tears as they kissed but they didn't mind it, in fact the tears actually caused them to make out and kiss even more passionately, sticking their tongues into each others mouth, rubbing their noses, licking and breathing hot on each others necks. Shifty was panting from the heat and Nutsy was sweating and trying to catch her breath.

"This is so wrong." Nutsy said.

"What?" Shifty asked.

"We're making out in front of my mother's grave. What do you think she'd say?" Nutsy asked.

Shifty blinked, rather confused, "That we make a cute couple despite species difference?"

Nutsy chuckled, "Probably, but she'd also tell us to get a room."

Shifty giggled a bit as he wagged his bushy tail, "Yeah, we can sure get cuddly at times, can we?"

"With someone so cute as you it's impossible not to get cuddly!" Nutsy said and then they lunged at each other, tickling each other and kissing. Their tears were replaced by uncontrollable laughter as they rolled about on the ground. Nuzzling, murring and laughing, the koala and dingo wrestled each other and soon, rain began falling from the sky.

The rain pelted the giggling koala and dingo and they started acting goofy as they got soaked from head to toe. Shifty pretended to shred an imaginary guitar while Nutsy did an Irish jig.

Shifty began singing really offkey:  
><em>Here comes the rain again<br>Falling on my head like a memory  
>Falling on my head like a new emotion<em>

Nutsy joined him, also offkey:  
><em>I want to walk in the open wind<br>I want to talk like lovers do  
>I want to dive into your ocean<br>_  
>Shifty and Nutsy sang in unison:<br>_Is it raining with you  
><em>  
>The koala and dingo hugged and laughed, both of them drenched from the pouring rain, "Well, aren't we a couple fools in the rain, Nutsy?" Shifty laughed.<p>

Nutsy nodded, "We sure are, Shifty Dingo."

"We better get home, our parents are gonna kill us." Shifty smiled as he shook the water out of his coat.

Nutsy giggled as she was sprayed with water, "When I get blow-dried, I'm gonna look like a big puffball!"

"A puffball, huh? I'll have you know when I get blow-dried, I puff out so much I become a static cling weapon!" Shifty said. Both Shifty and Nutsy giggled.

And with that, Shifty and Nutsy walked away from Nutsy's mom's grave and raced for the shelter of the dingo household.


	6. Love Is On The Way

_Shifty and Nutsy. such a wonderful couple. Combine that with the Saigon Kick song "Love Is On The Way" and to me, you've got a winning combination. I've known that song by heart since I was in kindergarten so it always brings back fond memories._

Shifty and Nutsy entered the dingo house, "Hey, Ma. I'm home!" Shifty said cheerfully.

"What happened to you? You're soaked!" Ma Dingo growled.

"Nutsy and I were playing in the rain. It really lifted out spirits!" Shifty grinned cheerfully.

"Whatever, just let me dry you off." Ma groaned as she grabbed a towel and started wiping Shifty down.

Shifty smiled at his mother, "Is it all right with you if Nutsy sleeps over?"

Ma Dingo glared at Shifty, "That koala-girl? No way!"

Shifty looked at his mother and began cracking his knuckles, "You know Ma, we can do this the easy way and you can just let Nutsy spend the night or we can do it the hard way and I can show you a few moves I leaned in karate."

Ma's eyes widened, she remembered one time seeing Shifty breaking a board with his bare paws when she watched him practicing, "Okay, I'll let you stay over!"

Shifty smiled, "Thanks, Ma. I knew you wanted to do things the easy way."

And with that, Shifty handed Nutsy a towel amd she dried herself off. They then rushed into Shifty's bedroom and plopped down on the bed together. They gazed deep into each other's eyes, as if trying to search each other's souls and they kissed on the lips.

"There's a little present I have for you, Nutsy." Shifty said, reaching under his pillow. The dingo pulled out the crystallized tear and gave it to the koala.

Nutsy gazed at the tear in awe, it was so crystal clear, she could see her own reflection in it and it sparkled as the sunlight from Shifty's window hit it, "It's so beautiful. How did you get it?"

Shifty sighed, "Long story. You see, the gem your holding is a tear that I once cried last night. Last night, I was visted by Danny's ghost and he told me that he loved me and would always be my big brother. He then started fading away and I started crying so he wiped away one of my tears and turned it into a beautiful crystal. I have no idea how he did it, though."

Nutsy smiled at Shifty, "Sounds like some dream."

Shifty shook his head, "It wasn't a dream, it was for real. I was awake when the whole thing happened. And Danny told me the tear just didn't come from my eye, it came from my heart. So Nutsy, this is a gift from my heart."

Nutsy just smiled and threw her arms around Shifty, "Thank you, Shifty."

Suddenly, Meatball entered the room. "Hey, you guys. I brought you some cake. I ate most of it then I felt strangely full."

Meatball's eyes fixed on the wet gauze cast on Shifty's wrist, "Hey, what happened?"

Shifty sighed and took the gauze cast off, revealing a big bloody knife wound across his wrist. Meatball flinched at the sight.

Nutsy gasped, "Shifty, did you do that to yourself?"

Shifty nodded as he forced back the tears, "I...I felt so upset about the whole running off with you thing. I was so consumed with greif, I almost committed suicide by trying to cut my wrists." A tear rolled down Shifty's muzzle, leaving a wet line along the bridge of his nose and he hung his head, sobbing quietly.

Nutsy pulled him into a warm hug, "So then what happened?"

Shifty sniffled and wiped his eyes, "I panicked after cutting myself and I kept looking for some gauze. Eventually, I saw Daisy and she helped me. She fixed my wound and talked me out of suicide. I just hugged her and she was crying, too."

Meatball sighed, ears wilting. "Well, I hope you guys enjoy the cake. I've heard my share of bad news today." And with that, Meatball left the room.

"I'm so sorry, Nutsy." Shifty whined softly.

Nutsy wiped her dingo boyfriend's tears away and smiled, "It's all right. I forgive you, Shifty. I just don't want you to kill yourself, okay?"

Shifty smiled and pulled Nutsy into a hug. They cuddled for about 25 minutes before they released the hug.

"I love you with all my heart, Nutsy. I don't know what I'd ever do without you." Shifty said.

"I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you no matter what." Nutsy said, kissing Shifty on his muzzle.

Then, the dingo and koala ate what remained of the cake and Daisy put on a movie for them to watch. After the movie ended, Shifty and Nutsy curled up together in bed, feeling each others warm, soft bodies close to each other as they snuggled really tightly. Despite the fact it was getting to be late spring, they enjoyed the warm body heat of each other, even using each other as soft pillows as they drifted off into sleep. The next day, Nutsy became an honorary member of the dingo family due to her strong relationship with Shifty.

Flash forward, years later Shifty Dingo and Nutsy were in college. Nutsy was training in a career as a doctor while Shifty was a blues musician. Eventually, Greenpatch's law against interspecies marriage was overthrown and the dingo and koala got happily married to each other. Nutsy had turned Shifty's crystallized tear into the beautiful gem on her wedding ring so she always had a part of Shifty wherever she went. They were unable to biologically have children so they adopted a young dingo girl named Nancy. Despite being an interspecies marriage, they lived to be one of the happiest families in Greenpatch. Shifty also had many admirers, as an adult he was so handsome and charming he could give his big brother Danny a run for his money but unlike Danny, he was always honest and fair, never conning anyone out of their money.

Blinky had grown up to become a radio DJ and he even promoted some of Shifty's songs on his radio station. Splodge was on his way to become a famous football player and Flap was studying technology so he could build a new sort of virtual reality simulator. Marcia unfortunately wound up in prison for armed robbery and Jacko became a stand-up comedian. Ruff the frilled lizard and Meatball worked at a fast food restaurant and Daisy gave up on the hair care business and went into modelling. Wombo eventually died from old age and the entire town mourned his passing and Miss Magpie gave up on teaching school and opened up a dance studio. Mayor Pelican retired and a new mayor, a quoll took his place. moved into Greenpatch, built a casino and taught the animals about gambling. This saddend the dingoes since Danny wasn't with them anymore. Still, Daisy and Meatball played slots every now and then. Shifty refused to gamble due to his moral code, though. Ma Dingo decided to go into meditation to help anger control. A lot had changed for the town of Greenpatch but the one thing that never changed was Shifty and Nutsy's love for each other.

Shifty and Nutsy sat on the beach and gazed deep into each others eyes, their arms around each other, "I'm so glad I came to Greenpatch, Nutsy. I'm sorry for all the trouble my family had caused."

Nutsy smiled at Shifty, "It's all right, there has to be some drama in this world to balance it out."

"So true, Nutsy. So true." Shifty said as he nuzzled her with his long, handsome muzzle and licked her cheek.

Nutsy giggled and smooched Shifty on the nose. A bright red blush seeped through his blonde fur. Nancy ran up to them, "Mommy, Daddy, can I stay up and watch the sunset with you?"

Shifty smiled at his adoptive daughter, "Of course you can, honey."

"Yaay!" Nancy cheered as she gave Shifty a hug, "You're the best daddy in the whole world!"

Shifty felt a lump in his throat and his eyes mist up with warm tears of joy, "And you're the best daughter I could ever ask for."

Nancy stopped hugging Shifty and turned to Nutsy, "Come on, give mommy a big kiss!" Nutsy said.

Nancy ran into Nutsy's arms and gently licked her on the cheek. Nutsy patted the little dingo girl on the head and scratched behind her ears.

"Hee hee hee.. That tickles, mommy." Nancy giggled.

And then, the dingo and koala family watched the sunset together. Even as adults, the Blinky Bill gang knew they had plenty of adventures down the road of life and someday, their children would grow up and have adventures of their own. The end.

_Lonely sidewalks, silent night  
>Bring the evening, deep inside<br>Hold me darling, touch me now  
>Let the feelings free tonight<em>

_Love is on the way  
>I can see it in your eyes<br>Let's give it one more try tonight baby_

_Love is on the way  
>I can see it in your eyes<br>Let's give it one more try tonight_

_Time of season, wipes your tears  
>No ryhme or reason, no more fears<br>And all the dreamin', is far behind  
>You are here now, and everythin's alright<em>

_Love is on the way  
>I can see it in your eyes<br>Let's give it one more try tonight baby_

_Love is on the way  
>I can see it in your eyes<br>Let's give it one more try tonight_

_And in the morning I'll be gone away  
>All the things I left behind<br>If you need me I'll come night and day  
>Let's stop the hands of time<em>

_Love is on the way  
>I can see it in your eyes<br>Let's give it one more try tonight baby_

_Love is on the way  
>I can see it in your eyes<br>Let's give it one more try tonight baby_

_Love is on the way  
>I can see it in your eyes<br>Let's give it one more try tonight baby_

_Love is on the way  
>I can see it in your eyes<br>Let's give it one more try tonight_  
>-Saigon Kick, Love Is On The Way<p> 


End file.
